Crock Pot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Slaw

Jessica's parents went home to Duluth on Tuesday. Jim shook my hand and said "take care of my girl" which he says every time and which I find both touching and slightly threatening. Diane hugged Sofia so hard that Sofia made a noise. They're good people — quiet, steady, Midwestern in the way that means they express love through proximity rather than words. They remind me of my parents, actually, just with less volume and more casserole.

The heat is finally breaking. I know "breaking" is relative in Phoenix — it's still 100 — but after months of 110+, 100 feels like autumn. You can stand outside at 6 PM without feeling like you're being cooked. The sunsets are getting longer and more dramatic, all those oranges and purples over the desert that make you forget the six months of misery that preceded them. This is the deal you make with Phoenix: you endure the summer, and the desert repays you with the most beautiful September through May in the country.

I've been working on the chicken. The competition chicken problem. I talked to Gary — the retired plumber from Peoria who won the Glendale Smoke-Off back in April — at a BBQ supply store in Scottsdale. Gary's been competing for seven years and his chicken has won multiple events. He told me two things: one, brine the thighs in a saltwater-sugar solution with apple cider vinegar for four hours before cooking. Two, finish them skin-side-down over direct heat for the last five minutes to crisp the skin. "Judges hate flabby skin," Gary said. "Flabby skin is a zero."

I tried his advice this weekend. Brined the thighs — bone-in, skin-on — for four hours in salt, sugar, apple cider vinegar, and water. Patted them dry, seasoned with my rub, smoked at 275 for ninety minutes, then finished over direct charcoal heat for five minutes, skin-side-down. The result was a revelation. The skin was tight, glossy, and crackly. The meat was juicy and seasoned all the way through — the brine had done its work. The flavor had that brightness I'd been missing: tangy, sweet, smoky, with a crunch on the outside. This is the chicken I'm taking to state. Gary, you beautiful plumber, you saved my competition.

Sofia, unaware of any chicken breakthroughs, spent the weekend being two. She colored on the wall with a crayon (orange, which Jessica says will not come off and I say adds character). She learned the word "mine" and applied it to everything including my spatula, the remote control, and the family dog next door. She ate the competition chicken thigh I offered her, declared it "yummy," and then threw the bone on the ground like a tiny Viking after a feast. My daughter, everybody. Two years old, no table manners, impeccable taste in poultry.

Gary’s brine method is for competition day — it takes four hours and direct charcoal and my full concentration — but once that breakthrough happened, I couldn’t stop thinking about that sweet-tangy-smoky flavor profile on a Tuesday night when nobody’s keeping score. These Hawaiian BBQ chicken tacos with pineapple slaw hit the same notes: the brightness, the caramelized sweetness, that little acidic punch that makes the meat sing. It’s the slow cooker version of the epiphany — less drama, same payoff, and Sofia can throw the bones on the ground either way.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 6 hrs | Total Time: 6 hrs 15 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless, skin-on chicken thighs
1 cup BBQ sauce (your favorite smoky variety)
1 cup crushed pineapple, with juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
12 small flour or corn tortillas
For the Pineapple Slaw:
2 cups shredded green cabbage
1/2 cup fresh pineapple, diced small
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Build the base. Add BBQ sauce, crushed pineapple with its juice, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar to the crock pot. Stir to combine.
Season the chicken. Pat chicken thighs dry and season all over with garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Nestle them into the crock pot, pressing down so they’re mostly submerged in the sauce.
Slow cook. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 3 to 3.5 hours, until the chicken is tender and pulls apart easily.
Make the slaw. While the chicken finishes, toss cabbage, diced pineapple, red onion, and cilantro together in a medium bowl. Whisk together apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and honey, then pour over the slaw. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until serving.
Shred and finish. Remove the chicken thighs and shred with two forks. Return the shredded meat to the crock pot and stir it into the sauce. Let it sit on warm for 10 minutes to soak up the juices.
Warm the tortillas. Heat tortillas one at a time in a dry skillet over medium-high heat for about 30 seconds per side, or wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave for 45 seconds.
Assemble. Pile shredded Hawaiian BBQ chicken onto each tortilla and top generously with pineapple slaw. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Crock Pot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Slaw — When the Chicken Finally Clicks